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Kanji Information Sheet for 向  ( PDF version of this Kanji PDF version )

stroke order illustration  
English:
yonder
facing
beyond
confront
defy
tend toward
approach
On-Yomi:
コウ
Kun-Yomi:
む.く
む.い
-む.き
む.ける
-む.け
む.かう
む.かい
む.こう
む.こう-
むこ
むか.い
こお


むか
むかい
むこう
Bushu (Radical) Info:
| (ぼう) – rod
口 (くち) – mouth
Henshall Mnemonic: house window faces one
Levels: JLPT N3 | JLPT 2 (old) | Grade 3
Frequency: #182 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:

Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.
Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).

Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.

JLPT N5 Words

  • こう   [むこう]
    (n) beyond; over there; opposite direction; the other party   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N4 Words

  • かう   [むかう]
    (v5u) to face; to go towards   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N3 Words

  • かい   [むかい]
    (adj-no,n) facing; opposite; across the street; other side   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • く   [むく]
    (v5k) (1) to face; (2) to turn toward; (3) to be suited to; to be fit for   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • ける   [むける]
    (v1) to turn towards; to point   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ほうこう]
    (n) direction; course; way   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [けいこう]
    (n) tendency; trend; inclination   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

  • く   [ふりむく]
    (v5k) to turn one's face; to turn around   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

  • き   [むき]
    (adj-na,n,n-suf) direction; situation; exposure; aspect; suitability   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • け   [むけ]
    (n-suf) (intended) for ..; oriented towards ..   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [いこう]
    (n) intention; idea; inclination   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [こうじょう]
    (n,vs) elevation; rise; improvement; advancement; progress   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しこう]
    (n) intention; aim   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [どうこう]
    (n) trend; tendency; movement; attitude   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ひなた]
    (n) sunny place; in the sun   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

  •   [へんこう]
    (n) propensity; tendency; inclination; deflection   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [うしろむき]
    (n) back facing; turning one's back to   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • い   [むかい]
    (io) (adj-no,n) facing; opposite; across the street; other side   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • かって   [むかってひだり]
    on the left as one faces (it)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [いっこう]
    (adv) (not) at all   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • に   [いっこうに]
    (adv) (not) at all   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • こう   [むこうがわ]
    (n) other side; opposite side; other party   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [たいこう]
    (n,vs) counter-; corresponding; face; opposite   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しゅこう]
    (n) plan; idea   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • け   [あおむけ]
    (n) face up   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [まっこう]
    (n) brow; front; helmet front   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [せいこう]
    (n) affection   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [おもてむき]
    (n) outward appearance; ostensible; public; official   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [うえむき]
    (adj-na,n) upturn; upward tendency; looking upward   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [まえむき]
    (adj-na,n) facing forward; positively   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [しゅっこう]
    (n,vs) being transferred; proceeding; leaving for   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • く   [でむく]
    (v5k) to go to; to proceed to; to leave for   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [てんこう]
    (n,vs) conversion; shift; about-face; switch   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • う   [はむかう]
    (v5u) to strike back at; to bite back; to turn on; to rise against; to oppose; to defy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • かう   [はむかう]
    (v5u) to strike back at; to bite back; to turn on; to rise against; to oppose; to defy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • き   [かざむき]
    (n) wind's direction   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ないこう]
    (n) introvert   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  •   [ないこうてき]
    (adj-na) introvert   [K] [D] [Jisho]
Find more details for at jisho.org, Yookoso! or WWWJDIC

Acknowledgments

The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.

NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.

The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.

Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.

The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.

If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.